Tuesday, March 20, 2007

"This time it wasn't a foreign country. It was Anarchy U.S.A." This is one of the lines near the beginning of a rather amazing U.S. documentary from 1965, Anarchy U.S.A. According to an on-line description, the film "shows how racial agitation among both blacks and whites is being used by America's enemies to create conflict and violence." It sets U.S. racial violence, and the civil rights movement, in the context of "Communist plans for world conquest." Apparently the producer was G. Edward Griffith.

I tried to upload the film to the Legal History Blog, but it wasn't working, so you'll have to go here to see it.

For Cold War historians, it is interesting to hear the hard-edged rhetoric in this video, which seems more reminiscent of earlier Cold War years.

I found this while doing some on-line research related to 1960s civil rights. I'm still working on tracking down more information about the film, and would be interested in hearing from readers with information and sources. There are additional links at Google Video, to other, more conventional, civil rights-related documentaries. This siteand others identify the source of Anarchy U.S.A. as the John Birch Society.